#kerajaangagal23 – Allahabad High Court rules that death of Covid patients from non-supply of oxygen criminal act, not less than genocide
Yesterday, I said one of the signs of kakistocracy and justification for the hashtag #kerajaangagal was the disastrous manner in which the government handled communication in the war against Covid-19 pandemic, with the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.
This is again illustrated with the imposition of a movement control order (MCO) for six districts in Selangor for 12 days from May 6 to 17.
Although the DAP MP for Bangi and DAP Assistant Director of Political Education, Ong Kian Ming, had cautioned on 1st May that the authorities should not announce any MCO 3.0 in the Klang Valley at the last minute without confirming the SOPs, this blunder was again repeated, resulting in confusion and anxiety all-round.
I do not blame Malaysians for caustic remarks on the social media, like the following:
- “So MCO 3.0 in 6 districts in Selangor starts on the 6th of May for 2 weeks. But no mention of which industries/sectors can open during these 2 weeks. Have wait for tomorrow for clarification and SOPs….When will these guys learn?”
- “Saya cuba nak memahami PKP terbaru untuk banteras Covid. Pada 6 Mei nanti:
“*Di sebelah 1Utama = PKP; tapi lintas jalan satu lampu isyarat sahaja.
“* Di Sebelah TTDI, KL = tiada PKP.
“Saya tak faham strategi @MKNJPM ini.”
Today, confusion and pandemonium continued to reign.
The Pakatan Harapan Education Committee, headed by former Education Minister Maszlee Malik had to demand that the Education Ministry provide clarity on the status of schools in areas which will come under the MCO restrictions tomorrow.
"Will schools be closed or will they remain open until the Hari Raya (on May 13)?”
The Pakatan Harapan Education Committee said an immediate announcement is necessary because some schools are having their mid-terms - to allow the school management to arrange examination schedules and to help students maintain focus.
It will also help parents to plan, especially in finding caretakers.
The Education Ministry should also bring clarity to the status of students in boarding schools, especially on whether they are allowed to return home, which might entail the crossing of state and district borders.
If such confusion had occurred at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, it might be understandable. But to occur a year after the Covid-19 pandemic, and on the third time a MCO is being imposed, is completely inexcusable.
The Muhyiddin government should be reminded that in India, which is undergoing a hellish second Covid-19 wave, overwhelming the country’s healthcare system causing shortages of hospital beds, oxygen and vaccine, the Allahabad high court said that the deaths of patients due to non-supply of oxygen amounts to a 'criminal act', nothing short of a 'genocide'.
A kakistocracy causing avoidable deaths is committing criminal acts.
There is no reason, in the first place, for Malaysia to have a cumulative total 420,632 cases to be ranked No. 43 among nations in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, and to overtake Saudi Arabia (now 421,300 cumulative total cases) some time today to be ranked No. 42nd – when we were ranked No. 85 on November 11 last year.
Why is Malaysia ranked No. 43 and No. 42 by today, having a greater cumulative total of Covid-19 cases while other countries in East Asia, ASEAN and Pacific have lower ranking and fewer cases like Myanmar (ranked No. 82) with 142,858 cases; South Korea (84) 124,945 cases; China (96) 90,721 cases; Thailand (98) 74,900 cases; Singapore (104) 61,252 cases; Australia (120) 29,862 cases; Cambodia (133) 16,971 cases; Hong Kong (145) 11,791 cases; Vietnam (176) 2,996 cases; New Zealand (179) 2,629 cases; Taiwan (192) 1,160 cases; Laos (195) 1,025 cases and Brunei (201) 228 cases.
The Muhyiddin must get its act together before Malaysians begin to charge it of criminal negligence in its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It should launch an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” national mobilisation against the Covid-19 pandemic by ending the emergency and convening Parliament immediately to focus on the national strategy against the Covid-19 pandemic, and ensure that Malaysia not only does not end up like India but be regarded as one of the more successful nations in East Asia, ASEAN and the Pacific in handling the Covid-19 pandemic.